Reply #5: Here you go

[Horse with no Name]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/business/media/27idol.html?_r=2&hp

LOS ANGELES — AT&T, one of the biggest corporate sponsors of “American Idol,” might have influenced the outcome of this year’s competition by providing phones for free text-messaging services and lessons in casting blocks of votes at parties organized by fans of Kris Allen, the Arkansas singer who was the winner of the show last week.

Representatives of AT&T, whose mobile phone network is the only one that can be used to cast “American Idol” votes via text message, provided the free text-messaging services at two parties in Arkansas after the final performance episode of “American Idol” last week, according to the company and people at the events.

There appear to have been no similar efforts to provide free texting services to supporters of Adam Lambert, who finished as the runner-up to Mr. Allen.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3894001&mesg_id=3894109
>>>snip
The Fox affiliate in Little Rock, Ark., reported on Wednesday that “an extraordinary number of votes” — 38 million in some reports — came from Arkansas, a state with a population of less than 3 million. That detail quickly made its way around the Internet. The station later retracted that news, saying that it was “based on incorrect information provided to one of our reporters.”